Imperfect Desires

Dylan wasn't the least bit surprised to hear Darren's words. In fact, those were the words he wanted to hear from his best friend. He knew his best friend's temperament better than anyone. How could he not know what was going through Darren's mind?

Seeing an arc spreading on Dylan's face, Darren's brows creased up as he came to a conclusion, "You already believed her words. Didn't you?"

Dylan shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly in reply as he affirmed, "I couldn't bring myself to not believe it. No matter how unreasonable and bizarre it sounded, my heart didn't allow me to deny it." He took a pause as his lopsided grin grew, "And even if I had the slightest doubt, it's no more."

Darren stared at his best friend carefully before shaking his head. "If you already believed her words, then your earlier gloominess can't possibly be because of that."

Dylan's smile froze as his eyes went wide. He looked horrified and troubled. Seeing him sighing so loudly, Darren inquired, "What's bothering you know? Struggling with this revelation?"

Dylan shook his head and went to Darren's side as he wailed, "The struggle is not with this truth. The struggle is how am I gonna face her now? Overnight, she turned from my despicable assistant to my..." Dylan couldn't even bring himself to continue as he was crying without any tears.

"But now she's your Goddess Xiu," Darren completed Dylan's sentence for him. It was not an act of goodwill, instead, it could be said that Darren was enjoying Dylan's struggle with his emotions. What Chen Xiu meant to Dylan, only he knew. That status of 'Goddess' was very real for Dylan since he worshipped her like a real goddess.

That esteemed goddess in his mind and he had been bullying her all this time?! Tsk. Tsk. Darren could only imagine his state of mind.

Dylan picked the flower vase and hit his head with it. But not with enough force to break it as he admitted, "Yes. If she's really my Goddess Xiu than I have committed a huge sin. How can I be arrogant and rude to her? I think my brain is damaged, otherwise, why would I act so willful before her?"

"Tsk. Tsk. You're really in a predicament my friend," Darren pursed his lips to hold back his laughter at Dylan's antics but he really didn't have any plan on stopping his best friend. Why would he? He was having a good time! 

As if recalling something, Dylan's face paled as he stared at Darren looking horrified and noted, "I bickered with her. I even called her kiddo! I even pulled her hair!" A gasp escaped his mouth as he added, "I even took her to jail with me. And not just once. But twice!"

Seeing that a red patch had formed at his forehead because of him using that vase as an assault weapon, Darren directly took the vase from his hand and placed it aside. Darren didn't think Dylan would really keep on digging his own gave of guilt but the latter surprised him a lot.

Dylan directly fell on his knees in a listless state and whispered, "I deserve to burn on the eighteenth floor of hell! What sin have I committed?!" 

Darren rolled his eyes at Dylan's drama and tried to placate this little kid. "Didi, why are you taking this so seriously?"

Dylan held Darren's leg and shook him making Darren almost lose his momentum. "Why don't you understand, Dazi?! I always wanted my Goddess to know me but like this... I never wanted her to see me as such an insolent one. I made her despise me."

Darren could only sigh as he patted Dylan's head and began, "She doesn't despise you." Dylan looked up at Darren expectantly and the later went on, "Believe me, she likes you more like this. Because this is the real you. If you don't believe me, you can ask her yourself."

Since Darren said those words, Dylan would obviously believe it. For two reasons; one that Darren was his best friend and two because there was no one who could claim to know Chen Xiu better than Darren. These two reasons brought comfort to Dylan's heart that had been going through a turmoil since the moment he accepted Xiu's truth.

"I know for sure that Sweets doesn't despise you but yes, she sometimes gets irritated by you," disclosed Darren. "I don't know what specialty you have but somehow you manage to touch her bottom line every single time. It's not every day that she'd lose her temper but with you..." He stroked his jaw thoughtfully as he continued, "With you, it's like her inner wild cat wakes up to bare her teeth and claws at you."

Dylan really wanted to cry again as he heard that. This was really not how he wanted his relationship with a person who held so much respect and admiration in his heart! 

"But I don't even do anything..."

Darren showed a hint of sympathy as he crouched down to come at the same level as the kneeling Dylan and spoke, "You don't have to do anything. From your interactions, I have come to a conclusion."

"What?" questioned Dylan.

"The reason why you both always end up shedding the pretense of cordiality is that you both have the same temperament. In one way or another, you both are really similar. You both can't hide your real emotions very well."

Dylan nodded his head in agreement. It was true. He hated the pretense in his life. Hiding his emotions was the most difficult job for him. Either it was his love or disgust, it could be seen right from his eyes. The same went for Xiu, for instance, the way she looked at Darren and the way she looked at Dylan showed the disparity of their status in her heart or life.

Dylan finally got up from his kneeling position to stand straight as he announced with conviction, "The past is in the past. The past was my ignorance but now... I'll make sure that my goddess sees me in a different light."

Although Darren didn't know why it was so important for Dylan. But he knew that Dylan was desperate to change his image before Xiu. 

"I wish you good luck for that," said Darren with a small but sincere smile.

Dylan hugged his best friend and said, "Thank you. I knew I can only count on you. But please, help me in convincing my goddess that I'm not as bad as she thinks."

While Darren patted his back and was about to say something, a languid voice filled with hostility and anger stunned both of them.

"I don't care whether you're good or bad but right now, you're certainly courting death!"